Chapter 202: Doubt

"I don't know."

Yu Chengze shook his head,

"But the Feng Family's methods are indeed beyond our comprehension."

Yu Chengye fell silent; Yu Chengye didn't know what to say, nor what to do.

He felt like a traveler lost in fog, unable to find direction or a way out.

"Brother, you... are you also..."

Yu Chengye suddenly thought of something, his voice trembling.

Yu Chengze said nothing; he silently removed his coat, revealing his shoulders.

A bruise was also visible on his shoulder—less severe than Yu Chengye's, yet clearly seen.

"Brother, you were cursed too?"

Yu Chengye's voice was filled with shock.

Yu Chengze nodded; a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Yes, I was cursed as well."

"Only, my symptoms didn't appear so quickly."

Yu Chengye stared at the bruise on Yu Chengze's shoulder, feeling utterly bewildered.

He didn't know what to say, nor what to do.

He felt like a puppet toyed with by fate, powerless to resist and unable to escape.

"Brother, what should we do? Should we just wait for death?"

Yu Chengye's voice was full of despair.

"No, we can't wait for death."

Yu Chengze's voice suddenly became firm,

"We must find a way to save ourselves."

"Self‑rescue? How to self‑rescue?"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Yu Chengye's eyes.

"That Jiangnan might be able to help us."

Yu Chengze said,

"He said he can detoxify corpse poison; perhaps it's true. So we could make a deal with him."

"Deal..."

Yu Chengye muttered to himself; he suddenly thought of something,

"Brother, do you know anything about the Ghost Market?"

Yu Chengze's expression changed; he looked at Yu Chengye and asked gravely:

"How did you learn about the Ghost Market?"

"I heard my father mention it, and... I told Jiangnan."

Yu Chengze's face grew even more grim; he stared tightly at Yu Chengye, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"Do you realize how much trouble this will bring to our Yu family?"

"I... I don't know..."

Yu Chengye's voice was filled with fear,

"I just want to survive..."

"You..."

A flash of anger crossed Yu Chengze's eyes, but he ultimately held back,

"Enough, saying this now is meaningless."

"Brother, I'm sorry, I truly didn't know it would turn out like this..."

Yu Chengye's voice carried a sense of gloom,

Yu Chengze sighed,

"The most important thing now is to find a way to lift the curse on us."

"But how should we do it?"

Yu Chengye's voice was full of confusion.

"That Jiangnan, didn't he say the Ghost Market would open the day after tomorrow?"

"Then we'll go with him."

A flash of surprise crossed Yu Chengye's eyes,

"But will he agree?"

"He will."

A spark of brilliance flickered in Yu Chengze's eyes,

"Because he needs us."

"But..."

Yu Chengye was about to say something, but Yu Chengze cut him off.

"There is no 'but'."

Yu Chengze said,

"This is our only hope."

Yu Chengye fell silent; he knew Yu Chengze was right.

They now have no other options; they can only place their hope on Jiangnan.

"Brother, I'll do as you say."

"Mm."

Yu Chengze nodded,

"You rest for a while first; I still have some matters to handle."

"Alright."

Yu Chengye replied, then turned and walked into his own room.

Yu Chengze watched Yu Chengye's departing back, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.

……

Yu Chengye returned to his room, lay on the bed, but could not fall asleep.

He closed his eyes, and in his mind kept flashing images of his grandfather and father's deaths, as well as the terrifying bruise on his shoulder.

He felt as if an invisible giant hand were clutching his throat, unable to breathe or break free.

Suddenly, a question occurred to him.

His curse had worsened so quickly, and only Jiangnan's intervention had saved his life.

Why does his elder cousin Yu Chengze seem as if nothing's wrong?

Could it be that Yu Chengze's curse is truly much lighter than his own?

Or perhaps he has a way to suppress the curse's onset?

A strong unease rose in Yu Chengye's heart; he felt he might have overlooked something important.

He sprang up from the bed, a flash of fear in his eyes.

He thought of a terrifying possibility.

Could it be that Yu Chengze has been deceiving him all along?

Perhaps he was never cursed, or rather, he had already lifted the curse long ago?

The more Yu Chengye thought, the more frightened he became; he felt like prey trapped in a snare, with Yu Chengze as the hunter.

He didn't know why Yu Chengze would do this, nor what his true purpose was.

But he knew he must leave here quickly, away from Yu Chengze.

He could no longer trust him; he must save himself.

At that thought, Yu Chengye hurriedly dressed and slipped out of the room.

He must find Jiangnan as soon as possible; only Jiangnan can help him.

He could wait no longer; he must act immediately.

Yu Chengye stepped out of the room, only to find Yu Chengze standing in the living room, seemingly waiting for him.

"Brother, you…"

A shock rose in Yu Chengye's heart; he didn't know when Yu Chengze had arrived.

"Yu Chengye, it's so late; where are you going?"

Yu Chengze's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

"I… I can't sleep, I want to go out for a walk."

Yu Chengye forced himself to sound steady and said.

"Oh? Is that so?"

A strange glint flashed in Yu Chengze's eyes,

"But I feel like you're hiding something from me?"

"No… nothing…"

Yu Chengye's heartbeat quickened; he felt he was about to gasp for breath.

"Really, there isn't?"

Yu Chengze pressed on step by step,

"Chengye, do you think I've been lying to you all this time?"

"I…" Yu Chengye's complexion changed; he didn't know how to answer.

"Do you think I was never cursed, or that I had already lifted the curse long ago?"

Yu Chengze's voice grew colder.

"I didn't…"

Yu Chengye's voice trembled; he wanted to deny it, but found he could not utter the words.

"You needn't deny it; your expression has already betrayed you."

Yu Chengze said coldly,

"You're right; my curse is indeed much lighter than yours."

"Why?"

Yu Chengye finally couldn't hold back and asked,

"Why are you fine?"

"Because I'm smarter than you."

A strange smile curled at Yu Chengze's mouth corner,

"I know how to use this curse to achieve my goal."

"Your goal?" Yu Chengye's eyes flashed with fear, "What exactly do you intend to do?"

"What do I want? Of course, to control the Yu family, to control the entire Jiangcheng!"

Yu Chengze's voice suddenly grew agitated,

"These years, I've lived in Old Master's shadow; he's dead, and your father too! On what grounds? On what grounds must I forever stay beneath others?"

"So, you used this curse to eliminate them?"

Yu Chengye's voice trembled,

"Grandfather, elder uncle, and my father—are they all killed by you?"

"That's right, they're all my doing."

Yu Chengze admitted without concealment,

"As long as they're dead, the Yu family will be mine!"